Theft of vehicles employing manually-actuated brake systems is a major concern for owners and users of these vehicles. For the purpose of this application, a vehicle can be any manually operated or motorized vehicle that employs a hand brake, such as a bicycle, moped, or motorcycle. Current estimates indicate that over 1.5 million bicycles are stolen every year in the United States. Major cities are especially prone to bicycle theft since these vehicles are often accessible to many persons when a user of the vehicle is otherwise engaged away from the vehicle. Since there are about 18 million bicycles sold in the United States alone in a given year, it would be desirable to have some form of anti-theft device to deter theft of these and other vehicles utilizing manually-actuated brake systems.
Most vehicles are secured when left unattended with a security device of some arrangement of a chain or bar and a locking device which are secured about a portion of the vehicle to protect the vehicle from being stolen. In many cases the vehicle is locked to or chained to a stationary object such as a post, fence, or bicycle rack. These security devices are not permanently attached to the vehicle and have drawbacks when securing the vehicle since the security devices are not permanently installed on the vehicle.
Most vehicles are stolen because the owner fails to lock or secure the vehicle when it is left unattended, or by a thief breaking or opening the locking device of the security device. In many instances, the thief's operating mode is to quickly and discreetly remove the security device to have use of the vehicle and then ride the vehicle away unnoticed by onlookers. It would be desirable to have an extra anti-theft device that prevented use of a vehicle even in instances where the vehicle was left unsecured to an object or in the event a security device was inappropriately removed from the vehicle.
Few, if any, vehicles are equipped with a theft-deterrent device which is permanently installed on the vehicle at point of manufacture. Moreover, vehicles are not readily designed for easy installation of an anti-theft device after manufacture of the vehicle. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an anti-theft device that may preferably be permanently installed on a vehicle at time of manufacture or alternatively configured to be added to the vehicle as an add-on accessory that is not expensive to manufacture or difficult to install after manufacture of the vehicle.
It is clear that there is a demand for an anti-theft device and method that is robust, economical, and easily integrated into new or existing vehicles. The present invention satisfies these various demands.